LexTalk

  I am not a fitness influencer.

You will not find me waking up at 5 a.m. thrilled to do burpees, drinking a mysterious green smoothie, and somehow looking adorable while breaking a sweat.

That is simply not my journey.

 
But I do like moving my body.

I’ve learned that exercise doesn’t have to mean driving to a gym, following an hour-long workout video, or completely exhausting myself. Sometimes it can just mean finding little ways to move throughout the day — especially when everything I need is already sitting somewhere inside my house.

A staircase? Perfect.

A wall? We can work with that.

A little floor space? Hello, cute booty exercises.

And my stair stepper? She’s definitely earned her place around here.

So when today’s WordPress writing prompt asked:

“What are five simple exercises to do at home?”

I decided not to give you five exercises that sound good.

These are five I actually like doing.

1. Stair Stepping

My stair stepper is probably one of my favorite ways to get some movement in without leaving the house.

There’s something about stepping that feels simple enough that I can convince myself to start — and sometimes getting started is the hardest part.

I’ll hop on my stepper, put something on TV, play some music, or scroll through something on my phone while I’m moving.

And if you don’t have a stair stepper?

If you have stairs in your house, congratulations. You already own exercise equipment.

 
Walking up and down the stairs a few extra times gets your legs moving and definitely lets you know they’re there.

No membership required.

2. Squats

I actually like squats because they’re simple, they don’t require equipment, and — let’s address the elephant in the room — cute booty goals.

There. I said it.

I especially like exercises that work my legs and glutes because those are areas I enjoy focusing on.

You can do regular squats right in your living room, bedroom, kitchen… wherever you have enough room.

And there is absolutely no shame in using a wall, counter, or sturdy chair for a little extra balance.

We’re exercising here, not auditioning for the Olympics.

3. Calf Raises

Calf raises might be one of the easiest exercises to randomly sneak into your day.
Stand near a wall or counter, hold on if you need some balance, rise onto your toes, lower yourself back down, and repeat.

That’s it.

You could literally do these while waiting for your coffee to brew.

And I love exercises like this because they don’t require me to mentally announce:
IT IS NOW TIME TO WORK OUT.

Sometimes I’m just standing there doing a few calf raises while life is happening around me.

Tiny movement still counts.

4. Glute Bridges & Other Booty Exercises

Apparently, my fitness philosophy has a recurring theme here.

If I’m getting down on the floor to exercise, there’s a pretty good chance I’m doing something for my glutes.

Glute bridges are one of my favorites. You lie on your back with your knees bent, keep your feet planted on the floor, and lift your hips before lowering them again.

I also like simple moves such as donkey kicks and other floor exercises that target the glutes.

Do I occasionally feel ridiculous kicking my leg into the air in my living room?

Yes.

Do I continue doing it because I would like my booty to benefit from my efforts?

Also, yes.

We all need goals.

5. Yoga-Style Stretching & Arm Circles

Not every bit of movement needs to leave me sweaty and questioning my life choices.
Sometimes I just want to stretch.

I like yoga-style movements because they can be slow, peaceful, and almost feel like hitting a little reset button for my body.

I’ll stretch my arms overhead, reach toward my toes, move through some simple yoga-inspired positions, or just stretch whatever feels tight that day.

And then there are arm circles.

So simple. So innocent.

Until you’ve been doing them for a while and your shoulders suddenly send you a strongly worded complaint.

I like mixing arm circles into my movement because I tend to naturally gravitate toward leg and glute exercises. They remind me that, yes, I do in fact have an upper body that probably deserves some attention too.

I think this is the biggest thing I’ve learned.

For a long time, it’s easy to think exercise only “counts” if it’s a full workout.

But movement doesn’t have to be an entire production.

You don’t necessarily need fancy equipment.

You don’t need a perfectly coordinated workout outfit.

You don’t need to drive anywhere.

And you definitely don’t need to become a completely different person who suddenly loves burpees.

Sometimes you just need ten minutes, a staircase, a wall, a little patch of floor, and the willingness to move.

Do some squats.

Stretch.

Walk up the stairs.

Do calf raises while you’re waiting for your coffee.

Hop on the stair stepper while watching TV.

Do a couple of glute bridges in pursuit of that cute booty.

It doesn’t have to be perfect.

For me, the best exercise isn’t necessarily the hardest workout.

It’s the movement I actually enjoy enough to do again.

And if I can do it without leaving my house?

Even better.